This invention relates, generally, to electro-mechanical games that challenge players to use their motor skills, sense of timing and sense of space in order to win and be rewarded if they play well and more particularly, to a fishing simulator game.
One example of an electro-mechanical game is a so-called crane game. Prizes are won by a player manipulating a crane claw over plush animals or other prizes and trying to position and release the crane claw in order to win one of the prizes. Rewards in such games can be difficult to achieve. This is due to the fact that the typical crane claw has difficulty in lifting and holding the prizes.
Another type of such game, which may also be classified as a merchandiser, enables prizes to be won by the player by manipulating a drill type spinning cylinder by positioning it and releasing it forward toward a wall full of holes that hold prizes. If the cylinder penetrates perfectly through the center of a hole in the wall a prize will be pushed through to fall out and enable the player to collect it from a receiving bin.
The present invention relates generally to a cabinet housing containers or capsules containing prizes. At the front of the cabinet is a control panel with a fishing rod handle and reel mechanism. Mounted in the interior of the cabinet is a boom mechanism supporting a fishing rod, spool and line, with a hook on the distal end of the line. The control panel and boom mechanism are operatively connected to a control system. When the handle and spool mechanism are activated and manipulated by a player, the fishing rod and spool are controlled by the control system to behave and respond to the player""s control actions very much like an actual rod and reel. This enables the player to manipulate the hook anywhere inside the cabinet and through the player""s skill alone be able to hook any of the prizes by placing a tip of the hook in a loop or hole on the prize. The captured prize can then be lifted like an actual fish and placed over a dispensing outlet to be automatically released. The captured prize is then delivered to a dispensing opening via a prize chute.
The game play can be configured as a skill only game. Alternatively, the game play can be automatically modified like a merchandiser or redemption game. Likewise, the game play can be mathematically, mechanically or electronically set to a game of chance, similar to a slot machine, or any other gaming device.